Okay, it’s been a full week of gameplay in the Big Brother 15 house – and, well, everyone is talking about this season – so I think it’s safe to share my thoughts on the HouseGuests, the twists, and the house in general. I’m also considering doing a weekly recap for the rest of this season, so keep an eye out for that in addition to my (usually not actually live) live-tweets of each episode. To catch those, follow me on Twitter!
The Controversy
You might have heard about what’s been going on in the house on the news. But in case you haven’t or just want to know more than what was shown on Sunday’s episode, a member of the ONTDBB LiveJournal community compiled a montage of the derogatory remarks made by the HouseGuests. You can watch that here.
In case you aren’t familiar with the format of the show, it’s a reality series where a group of people (who usually have never met) spend the summer in a house where they compete for a half-a-million dollar grand prize. The Big Brother House has set up cameras and microphones in all areas, and the HouseGuests are required to wear microphone packs to help pick up their voices if the other microphones fail. Each person entering the House is well aware that they will be taped and broadcasted on CBS, CBS.com for those who subscribe to the Live Feeds, and the crew/producers of the show. So naturally, it’s alarming that someone would be speaking such hateful words in reference to (and sometimes in front of) their fellow HouseGuests.
A few of the HouseGuests have been speaking to each other about their uneasiness about the individuals who are being homophobic, racist, etc and seem to want to avoid confrontation even though they are offended. It’s possible that the responsible HouseGuests will be evicted soon, but it is surprising and disappointing that Big Brother has not stepped in to expel or even reprimand those making the comments. However, some of the HouseGuests have already faced consequences of their actions (which they will learn when they leave the House): Aaryn Gries and GinaMarie Zimmerman have been fired from their jobs.
The Twists
Normally, two people are nominated for eviction each week. This season, one of the twists is that three people will be nominated for eviction each week; two nominated by the Head of Household (a power won in competition) and the other nominated by the MVP (a power won by a weekly viewer-based vote). It’s likely that Big Brother will change these twists or add more twists throughout the game. As Julie Chen says, “Expect the unexpected.”
Personally, I like the twists this season. This is for one reason only: the MVP’s identity is not revealed to the House unless he or she decides to divulge that information themselves.
My Picks
Talk about tough pickings. Before the season premiere the HouseGuests were revealed to the public and out of Staten Island loyalty, I wanted GinaMarie to win. That has obviously since changed. It’s truly disappointing that Staten Island is yet again portrayed negatively in the media.
Currently, I have a group of HouseGuests that I’m interested in possibly going on to win the grand prize. As you can see above, those few are Andy, Nick, McCrae, Elissa, and Helen. If I had to pick who I thought might win the game, at this point in time, I’d have to say Helen or Elissa – despite the fact that they (Spoiler Alert: don’t read on if you haven’t seen Sunday’s episode) are both currently nominated for eviction. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Are you watching this season? Who are you rooting for? Let me know in the comments!
